Bristol Bay Salmon Plan Massive Suicide Protest

(Iliamna, AK) Insider sources within the piscatorial community recently revealed plans for a massive protest against the proposed Pebble Mine project within the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. The source, who for the sake of anonymity we shall refer to as "Hookjaw", and who is a member of a group known as the "Bristol Bay Reds" revealed a highly coordinated plan in which millions of Sockeye and other specie of salmonid plan to give their lives later this year. The mass suicide is intended as a means of protesting the possible fouling of their birth waters by what they refer to as the "Pebble Mine disaster."

Our insider further revealed that massive numbers of the fish are planning to gather off of the Alaska coast before starting the long journey upstream to the home of their youth. Once they have made the perilous trek past commercial fishing vessels, recreational anglers, grizzly bear, and other threats, their plan is to locate a member of the opposite sex for one last fling. The female salmon will then go about the business of laying their eggs while the males stand watch and skirmish among themselves and the region's massive rainbow trout (who hope to make a meal on the salmon's eggs).

Those who survive and complete their procreation will gather one last time and die together in what they hope the world will view as a huge show of solidarity for the cause of fish everywhere. "We will be giving our lives so that both our fry and the very lifestyle of the Bristol Bay region can continue to exist" said one participant. "We only hope that the land dwelling people will take notice and stop this before it all comes to an end."

A spokesperson for company behind the mining project said, "We hear rumors of this sort of thing every year." "While we sympathize with the effect this has on the land dwelling people of Bristol Bay, we really can't concern ourselves with the actions of a radical fringe group such as the Sockeye."

Sage, Redington, Rio Bristol Bay Outfit Pre-Order

From their joint press release:

Bainbridge Island, Washington - The threat of a massive hard rock and open pit mining district in Bristol Bay has sparked three of the most recognizable names in fly fishing to come together for a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited Alaska.Sage Manufacturing, Redington Tackle & Apparel, and RIO Products International are creating a special ready-to-fish outfit that will be shipped to customers in April 2008. Only 300 limited edition outfits will be produced.

This special outfit will come with a Sage Z-Axis 9-foot 8-weight rod and a Redington moss-colored CD 7/8 reel pre-spooled with RIO Gold fly line. A case will also be included, which will be embroidered with a unique graphical slogan, “More Precious Than Gold – Save Bristol Bay”. Purchased separately, this outfit would retail for more than $875. The companies plan to retail this special outfit for $600.

From each outfit sold, Sage, Redington and RIO will donate $200 to Trout Unlimited Alaska. Total anticipated donation, which will be earmarked for campaign activities dealing with the Bristol Bay mining district as well as production, marketing and distribution of the film Red Gold, will be between $60,000 – $120,000.Outfits may be pre-ordered beginning Thursday, January 3rd, 2008.

Pre-orders will be taken in two ways: By calling Sage Customer Service at (800) 533-3004, or by simply ordering online at www.redington.com. At the time of purchase, customers can extend their support even further by choosing to donate additional funds to Trout Unlimited Alaska. Sage & Redington are set up to accept additional donations in $50 increments up to a matching donation of $200. Dealers who wish to carry the outfit will also have the opportunity to do a matched donation. Everyone who places an order with a matched donation will have their name listed in press releases, on Redington.com, Sageflyfish.com, and the Trout Unlimited official site.

To date, Sage, Redington and RIO have donated more than $10,000 for public and media awareness and the production of a new documentary about the region, entitled Red Gold, about the Bristol Bay fishery
For More Information:
• www.savebristolbay.org & www.redington.com/bristol.php
• Marc Bale (mbale@sageflyfish.com), Bruce Kirschner (bkirschner@sageflyfish.com) or Karen Curry (kcurry@redington.com), Company Representatives, 1-800-533-3004
• Lauren Oakes, Conservation Programs Officer, Trout Unlimited Alaska, loakes@tu.org (907) 321-3725

Sage, Redington, Rio unite to help save Bristol Bay

Big names in the world of fly fishing gear have announced their next step in the fight to save Bristol Bay, Alaska from the peril of open pit mining. Press release follows:

Bainbridge Island, Washington - The threat of a massive hard rock and open pit mining district in Bristol Bay has sparked three of the most recognizable names in fly fishing to come together for a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited Alaska.

Sage Manufacturing, Redington Tackle & Apparel, and RIO Products International are creating a special ready-to-fish outfit that will be released by April 2008. Only 300 limited edition outfits will be produced.

The outfit will come with a Sage Z-Axis 9-foot 8-weight rod and a Redington moss-colored CD 7/8 reel pre-spooled with RIO Gold fly line. A case will also be included, which will be embroidered with a unique graphical slogan, “More Precious Than Gold – Save Bristol Bay”. Purchased separately, this outfit would retail for more than $875. The companies plan to retail this special outfit for $600. It will be available to purchase directly from Sage, through Redington.com, and through their authorized dealer network.

From each outfit sold, Sage, Redington and RIO will donate $200 to Trout Unlimited Alaska. Through a special dealer program, any authorized dealer will have the opportunity to match the corporate donation. Total anticipated donation, which will be earmarked for campaign activities dealing with the Bristol Bay mining district as well as production, marketing and distribution of the film Red Gold, will be between $60,000 – $120,000.

The 9-foot 8-weight Z-Axis is one of the most popular and sought after rods Sage currently produces. Because of this, Sage will commit one entire production day to manufacture the 300 rods for the outfits. Redington reels will be spooled with RIO fly line in-house by distribution staff, and a special informational brochure will be developed and inserted by the marketing & sales staff.

“We’re dedicating one day for this cause so our entire company will feel involved in the campaign. Employees on the production floor don’t often get the opportunity to get involved on a public level, so this is an opportunity for them to do so. They will know that every rod, reel or case they touch that day will be for a great cause, and that sales will help Trout Unlimited Alaska fight mining development in this special region,” states Marc Bale, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, “The health and vitality of sport fishing in Bristol Bay, Alaska is important for our businesses. Keeping this ecosystem intact is important to our industry.”

Sage, Redington and RIO are appropriately calling this event “One Day For Bristol Bay”

To date, Sage, Redington and RIO have donated more than $10,000 for public and media awareness and the production of a new documentary about the region, entitled Red Gold, about the Bristol Bay fishery.

For More Information: www.savebristolbay.org

Want to Produce a Movie?

Chapel Hill North Carolina native, Ben Knight, of Felt Soul Media snapped this excellent photo while working on their new film "Red Gold." Red Gold is part of Trout Unlimited's educational effort to save the Bristol Bay, Alaska area from becoming "an open pit mining district" aka the Pebble Creek mine.

You can help by donating funds towards the production of the film. Donations are tax deductible and if you give more than $500 to this worthy cause your name will be featured in the credits of the film.

Think of it as your big break into show business all the while helping preserve a beautiful and yet unspoiled part of the world.

Link to the Felt Soul Media site.

Link to their blog, "The Wire."

Photo: Ben Knight

FeltSoul Media Announces New Website / Projects

Travis Rummel aka "The Boss" from FeltSoul Media e-mailed us to announce the launch of their new and improved website. You might remember the guys at FeltSoul Media as the talented creators of the excellent fly fishing videos "The Hatch" and "Running Down the Man."

Here is the text of Travis' announcement with info about their latest project in Bristol Bay:

Ben and I are really excited to announce that after months of designing, multiple web programmers, and weeks of toil - we have launched our new and very much improved website - www.feltsoulmedia.com. Please check it out and let us know what you think. We could not be happier to be sharing our work with you and it is a wonderful feeling to be doing so through a site that we designed.

We are less than a month away from heading up to Bristol Bay to begin work on our biggest film project to date. For more info and to lend your support please check out The Horizon section of the site. We will be giving updates through out the project, so please keep an eye on our "Wire" feature to see what we're up to in the coming months.

We are also happy to announce the World Theatrical Premier of the HD version of Running Down the Man – Friday, May 25th at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival (mountainfilm.org). We hope you can join us in Telluride for this special screening. Along with Running Down the Man will be Roam and Nine Winters Old, both come with rave reviews and will leave lasting impressions. See you in T-ride.

Best, Travis
feltsoulmedia.com

Do you want your fishing hole to look like this?

I just got off the plane from New York state and hadn't planned on posting tonight. However, when I got home I found this important email from Scott Hed of the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska. Scott is a dedicated angler and conservationist and is one of the key players leading the fight against the Bristol Bay Mine. He has asked us to pass his email along to you:

Greetings fly fishing enthusiast,

Thank you for your support for the world’s greatest wild salmon and trophy rainbow trout fishery! Over the early months of 2007, the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska attended 11 fly fishing shows across the country. You joined several thousand conservation-minded anglers in signing the Fly Fishing Petition for Bristol Bay which is now available online at http://www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/FlyFishingPetition_BristolBay.html.

Please forward this message to all of your fishing friends so they can become involved too. If each one of you asks a couple friends, we can easily add thousands more anglers in support of Bristol Bay’s renewable resources.

Individual anglers such as yourself are being joined by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) and over 40 of its member companies, Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers, Dallas Safari Club, commercial fishermen and organizations, native villages in the region, and others in the campaign to keep Bristol Bay from being developed into a massive mining district, anchored by the proposed Pebble Mine project located north and east of Lake Iliamna. A major strength of this campaign is the diversity of individuals and groups standing up and stating “No Mines in Bristol Bay.”

Things you can do:

1) Encourage all of your fishing friends and fellow club members to sign the Fly Fishing Petition for Bristol Bay online. http://www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/FlyFishingPetition_BristolBay.html

2) Visit www.tu.org/bristolbay and click on the “New Project” to learn about RED Gold: The Southwest Alaska Salmon Treasure. The award-winning fly fishing filmmakers at FeltSoul Media are spending two months in Alaska this summer to produce a documentary on Bristol Bay’s world renowned fisheries and pristine waters, focusing on the mining development that threatens these critical resources. This project needs your support!

3) Visit www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org to learn more about the threat to Bristol Bay. You can view the AFFTA industry support ad that has run in most of the major fly fishing publications under the “Latest News” tab, and you can join the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska by clicking the “Join Us” tab. There is no cost to join, however you will be kept up to date on Alaska issues of importance to sportspersons. Presently, the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska is working on the Bristol Bay campaign and the efforts to protect the remaining highly productive watersheds of the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.

Again, thank you for taking action to keep mining out of Bristol Bay. Please forward this message to your friends to make the campaign even stronger.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

With sincere gratitude,

Scott Hed
Outreach Director
Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska
(605) 336-6738 office
scott@sportsmansalliance4ak.org
www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org
NOTE: If you get an error replying to this email address, please send your message to scotthed@hotmail.com. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Take a few moments this Friday morning and follow Scott's suggestions. Be sure to sign the petition against the Bristol Bay mine. This is a simple step that every angler can take to help protect a great resource.